Anorexia is the most common presenting complaint of companion pigs: a retrospective study of 192 companion pigs (2008-2024).

Anorexia in companion pigs warrants thorough biochemical workup, as it frequently signals serious systemic disease.

This retrospective study analyzed 192 companion pigs presented to a referral hospital between 2008 and 2024, focusing on presenting complaints, diagnoses, and serum biochemistry abnormalities in pigs over one year of age with confirmed illness. A total of 275 complaints and 225 diagnoses were recorded. Anorexia was the most prevalent presenting complaint (23%), followed by lethargy (16%), neurologic signs (9%), vomiting (8%), and abnormal urination (7%). Gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and renal/urinary conditions were the leading diagnostic categories, each representing 16-19% of diagnoses. Notably, 12% of cases received an unspecified diagnosis, underscoring the diagnostic challenges in this species. Biochemical abnormalities were common and included hyperglobulinemia (39%), hypomagnesemia (38%), hypoalbuminemia (29%), elevated BUN (26%), elevated AST (21%), hypochloremia (19%), and concurrent hypocalcemia and elevated creatinine (18%). Anorexia and lethargy were the complaints most consistently associated with biochemical derangements, and acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease was the predominant diagnosis among pigs with significant biochemical abnormalities. The study highlights that companion pigs frequently present with nonspecific clinical signs that may reflect a wide range of underlying systemic conditions. This work provides valuable epidemiological and clinical reference data for veterinary practitioners increasingly encountering companion pigs, contributing meaningfully to a limited existing literature base for this species.

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